SALT LAKE CITY – When it’s over, they all insist they’re just happy to give it their all. But Joey Cheek really was.
“I can’t do any better than this,” said the 22-year-old American as he looked up after this 1,000-meter speedskating race yesterday and saw his 1:07.61 as the third-best time of the day.
Because he had struggled mightily in the weeks preceding the Olympics, Cheek just wanted to bronze the feeling, never mind the medal that would inevitably wind up around someone else’s neck. “I never thought third would hold up,” he said.
One of four skaters left was Jeremy Wotherspoon, who pitched face-forward as one of Canada’s great medal hopes in the 500 and presumably was poised for redemption in the 1,000.
Wotherspoon lost speed on the first turn, lost focus, lost the opportunity to become an icon. He did a 1:08.32 for 13th place and Cheek did a double-take at the board.
“It couldn’t be,” said Cheek. “I was afraid to believe it. I still can’t. I just won an Olympic medal.”
One look at his face was enough to convince you that sometimes, there can’t be anything better than third. Except that for gold-medal winner Gerard van Velde of Holland, who skated a world-record 1:07.8, there was. An Olympian in 1992 and 1994, he was one burned-out Dutchman by the time Nagano rolled around.
“I was top five in the world,” van Velde said. “And then new guys were doing very well, and I couldn’t go on the clap skate, and there were some family circumstances … My trainer could not give me another contract for a year. I love speedskating, but when my trainer doesn’t want me, it’s time to stop. I sold cars. I have to thank a lot of people who helped me back.”
All the way back from the car lot, the once-lemon won the gold.